1. Field of Invention:
An applique structure for a four door vehicle which is adhered to the B pillar areas. These areas are externally defined by the door structure adjacent to the juncture of the front doors and the rear doors. The applique structure includes a double seal at the juncture.
2. Prior Art:
It is a conventional practice to provide appliques on the B pillars of vehicles. Appliques are decorative pieces fastened to a larger surface of a vehicle. A pillar is a structural member provided to support the structure of a vehicle. The forward pillar is conventionally designated as the A pillar, the center pillar as the B pillar and the rear pillar as the C pillar. Side windows are provided between the pillars.
Various materials have been used to fabricate appliques for the B pillar area. Both plastic and metallic appliques have been used in the past. The usual way to attach a pillar has been to provide a weld stud on the pillar. The applique has had a clip provided on the under side thereof which has been attachable to the weld stud.
A disadvantage of such a construction is that it has been relatively expensive to fabricate and mount and the applique has been relatively thick, for example, 0.360 inch. Such a thickness results in undesirable air resistance when the vehicle is moving and an undesirable appearance.
The problem has been exacerbated in four door vehicles where the B pillar structure is hidden behind the forward edge of the rear door and the rearward edge of the front door. It is such an arrangement that the present invention is concerned with. In this arrangement, it is necessary to provide the applique structure in two pieces. One piece is received on the forward edge of the rear door and the other piece is received on the rearward edge of the front door. In such a construction, a small crack exists at the juncture of the two parts of the applique. Such a crack is desirably sealed against the weather, particularly from air movement while the vehicle is in motion. Small amounts of air which enter a moving vehicle through a crack or crevice result in an air noise which is undesirable with respect to passenger comfort. Vehicle passengers are bothered by the decibel level within the passenger compartment. The phenomena is broadly referred to as NVH, this designation being an acronym for noise, vibration and harshness. The present invention substantially eliminates any NVH problem which could be caused at the juncture of the two parts of the applique structure by the provision of a double seal at this juncture.
The present invention also offers advantages with respect to the prior art clip and stud arrangement above-referred to in that the applique is adhered to the vehicle, thus eliminating the thickness of the clip and stud arrangement. The thinner applique results in a more aerodynamic function and appearance. Further the applique structure is less expensive to make and install.